Lancaster-based High Hotels tends to do projects in clusters, often doubling down on certain areas and becoming deeply rooted experts in each market where it builds.

So when the company on Thursday night celebrated the grand opening of its first Lehigh Valley hotel — the $20 million SpringHill Suites by Marriott in Center Valley — it did so knowing more ribbon-cuttings could be on the horizon.

In fact, it’s of “high interest” to the company to carry out another one to two projects in the Lehigh Valley within the next couple years, High Hotels President Russ Urban told The Morning Call on Friday. But nothing definitive is in the pipeline as of yet, he added.

“We are investigating other locations in the Lehigh Valley,” Urban said.

High Hotels, an affiliate of High Real Estate Group LLC, has labeled the Lehigh Valley a key growth market, as indicated by its econometric models that consider the area’s gross domestic product, consumer confidence and personal income, among other factors. The area has caught the attention of other hotel developers, too.

The five-story, 132-suite SpringHill Suites, which officially opened in mid-December at 3800 West Drive along Route 309, is one of three hotels to open in the Lehigh Valley in recent months. Last month, the 114-room Fairfield Inn & Suites in Upper Macungie Township opened, with a grand opening slated for Feb. 22. In addition, a five-floor, 114-suite Homewood Suites by Hilton opened in November in Center Valley, catty-corner from the Promenade Shops at Saucon Valley.

While the SpringHill Suites and Homewood Suites are separated by less than a mile, there is expected to be enough business to go around, especially when considering the already plentiful supply of corporate tenants nearby could grow moving forward.

While Urban said there’s some competition between the two properties, he also described the two hotels as complementary of one another. Aside from the brand differences — Hilton and Marriott — the Homewood Suites features a large meeting room and serves the extended-stay market, while Urban described his hotel’s clientele as more “corporate mainstream leisure.”

And when it comes to business, so far, so good, Urban said.

“It’s been a very, very strong first seven weeks,” he said. “It beats our expectations in every regard.”

The Center Valley property is the 15th hotel in High Hotels’ portfolio. In addition, Urban noted, the hotel saved some money on shipping and handling for furniture — it all came from custom furniture maker American Atelier Inc. in Allentown.